Here is a look at all former Tech players playing in the NFL as of opening day (Sept. 8):
ARIZONA CARDINALS
87 Jeff King – King is entering his seventh season in the NFL and his third with the Cardinals after being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 30 after undergoing a second knee operation since last season ended, and he will miss this season.
This may be the end of King’s tenure in Arizona, as this year is the final year of a three-year, $5.55 million contract he signed with the Cardinals in 2011. The deal included a $1 million signing bonus. He caught 44 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns in two years in Arizona.
34 Ryan Williams – The former Tech tailback has incurred nothing but bad luck since being drafted by Arizona in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 2011, he suffered a torn patella tendon in the preseason and then missed the entire season. Last year, he played in five games and ran the ball 58 times for 164 yards, but injured his shoulder against St. Louis and underwent surgery that cost him the season.
Williams hopes to stay healthy and show his potential this season, though the Cardinals are reportedly trying to trade him. He is entering the third year of a four-year, $5 million contract that he signed as a rookie. That deal included a $2,141,768 signing bonus.
BALTIMORE RAVENS
2 Tyrod Taylor – Taylor won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens last season, his second in Baltimore after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. For the season, he played in seven games and completed 17 of 29 for 179 yards, with an interception. He also rushed 14 times for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Taylor begins his third season as Joe Flacco’s backup. He signed a four-year deal for $2.145 million as a rookie, and the deal included a $105,308 signing bonus.
CHICAGO BEARS
50 James Anderson – Anderson spent his first seven seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, who drafted him in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He recorded 319 solo tackles, 135 assists and eight sacks in those seven years. A year ago, he started 12 games and finished with 39 solo tackles and 34 assists. He set a franchise record with 20 tackles in a game against the New York Giants last September.
But the Panthers released Anderson two seasons into a five-year, $22 million contract extension because of salary cap reasons. So Anderson signed a one-year deal with the Bears, a deal worth $1.25 million that included a $200,000 signing bonus. He should be a starter at one of the outside linebacker spots.
DALLAS COWBOYS
87 Andre Smith – In a bit of a surprise, the Dallas Cowboys kept four tight ends on their 53-man roster, and Smith, the former Tech tight end, was one of them. The Cowboys’ coaching staff reportedly kept him because of his ability to block.
Smith did not get drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft after wrapping up his Tech career following the 2010 season. He signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent and spent eight weeks on their practice squad before being elevated to the 53-man roster for the final eight games, though he wasn’t active for any games. The Bears released him in May of last year, and he signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who waived him right before the 2012 season started.
Smith signed with Dallas last January, agreeing to a two-year, $1.05 million contract.
81 Danny Coale – Coale suffered a terrible rookie season with the Cowboys after tearing the ACL in his knee. The former Tech receiver, who went in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, spent the season on the practice squad while recovering, and he’ll spend the 2013 season on the practice squad as well. The Cowboys personnel staff cut him on Aug. 31, but signed him to the practice squad the following day. He could be signed off the practice squad at any point this season if the Cowboys need him.
Coale signed a four-year contract as a rookie.
DENVER BRONCOS
70 Vinston Painter – Painter, a former Tech offensive tackle who started all 13 games as a senior last season, went in the sixth round of last April’s NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, $2.27 million contract, which included a $117,932 signing bonus.
The Broncos personnel staff cut Painter on Aug. 31 – the day that rosters needed to be finalized. But the following day, they signed Painter to the practice squad. Like with Coale, he could be signed off the practice squad at any point this season if the Broncos need him.
GREEN BAY PACKERS
11 Jarrett Boykin – Boykin beat the odds last August, making Green Bay’s roster as a free agent. The former Tech receiver was not drafted and was cut by Jacksonville, which had signed him as a free agent, before latching on with the Packers. He ended up playing in 10 games and catching five passes for 27 yards, and he also added five tackles on special teams.
Last year, Boykin signed a three-year deal worth $1.44 million. He projects as the fourth receiver for Green Bay this season.
DETROIT LIONS
10 Corey Fuller – After a terrific senior season at Tech in which he caught 43 passes for 815 yards and six touchdowns, Fuller was drafted in the sixth round by the Lions this past April. The Lions’ brass cut Fuller on Aug. 31, but signed him to their practice squad the following day. Like with Painter and Coale, Fuller could be signed off the practice squad at any point this season.
Fuller signed a four-year deal with Detroit after the draft worth $2.283 million. The deal included a $123,100 signing bonus.
HOUSTON TEXANS
76 Duane Brown – Brown, a former Tech left tackle, had arguably the best year of his career last season when he earned first-team All-Pro honors and made the Pro Bowl. He started all 16 games for the Texans and has started every game in which he has played during his five-year career.
Brown, a first-round pick by the Texans in the 2008 NFL Draft, signed a seven-year deal in August of last year worth $56.2 million - $22.08 million of that is guaranteed, including a $12.5 million signing bonus.
22 Rashad Carmichael – Carmichael, who missed nearly all of his rookie season in 2011 with a shoulder injury, played in six games last season, his second in the NFL after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. The former Tech defensive back finished with 9 tackles (8 solo) and an assist.
The Texans’ personnel staff released him on Aug. 31, but signed him to the practice squad two days later. He could be signed off the practice squad at any point during the season.
Carmichael signed a four-year, $2.437 million contract as a rookie in 2011. The deal included $397,088 signing bonus.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
24 Brandon Flowers – Flowers has become one of the best defensive backs in football as he enters his sixth season in Kansas City, which drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He started 15 games a year ago and finished with 48 tackles (40 solo) and three interceptions. He has started every game he has played in except for one.
Flowers signed a six-year, $49.35 million contract with Kansas City in 2011, with $22 million of that guaranteed. It also included a $10 million signing bonus.
NEW YORK GIANTS
22 David Wilson – Wilson will be the starting tailback for the Giants. A first-round draft pick last year, he played in all 16 games last season and rushed 71 times for 358 yards and four touchdowns as a backup to both Ahmad Bradshaw and Andre Brown.
Wilson set a team record with 327 all-purpose yards in the Giants’ 52-27 win over New Orleans on Dec. 9. That included a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He became the first player in NFL history with 200 kick return yards and 100 yards rushing in the same game.
Wilson’s rookie contract was a four-year deal worth $6.68 million, with a $3.3 million signing bonus.
28 Jayron Hosley – Hosley enjoyed a solid rookie campaign after being drafted by the Giants in the third round of last year’s draft. He started six games and played in 12, and he finished with 40 tackles, including 32 solo stops. He also had an interception and forced a fumble.
Hosley, who goes into the season as a backup at one of the cornerback spots and a potential punt returner, signed a four-year contract as a rookie. His deal was worth $2.637 million and included a $515,000 signing bonus.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
7 Michael Vick – The former Tech quarterback won the starting job under new head coach Chip Kelly, who took over for Andy Reid. A year ago, Vick played in 10 games, missing several with a concussion. He completed 204 passes out of 351 attempts (58.1 percent) on the season for 2,362 yards and 12 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 332 yards and a touchdown.
Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, agreed in February to restructure the six-year, $100 million deal he signed with Philadelphia in 2011. His new deal is a one-year contract worth $10 million and included a $3.5 million signing bonus.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
93 Jason Worilds – Worilds finished with a career high in sacks last season for the Steelers and goes into the 2013 season looking for more. As a backup outside linebacker last season, he started three games and played in 16, recording 27 tackles (23 solo), and he had five sacks. His five sacks equaled the number of sacks he had in his first two seasons with the Steelers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Worilds, who starts now that James Harrison is no longer with the Steelers, is in the last year of a four-year deal he signed as a rookie. That contract was worth $3.305 million, with $1.9 million guaranteed.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
11 Eddie Royal – Royal’s first season in San Diego didn’t go so well, as he played in just 10 games mostly because of a hamstring injury. He started two games and caught 23 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.
Royal, who is projected to start at one of the receiver spots, spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, who drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. After his rookie contract ran out, he signed a three-year, $13.5 million contract ($6 million guaranteed) with San Diego to play for head coach Mike McCoy, who was the former offensive coordinator in Denver.
67 Nick Becton – The former Tech offensive tackle, who started every game for the Hokies last season, did not get drafted in April’s NFL Draft. However, Becton signed with the Chargers as a free agent.
Becton survived in the Chargers’ preseason camp until Aug. 31, when the Chargers’ personnel staff released him. Yet the following day, the staff signed him to the team’s practice squad, where, pending injuries, he’ll spend this season. He could be signed off the practice squad at any point during the season.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
31 Kam Chancellor – Chancellor established himself as one of the NFL’s best safeties last season, starting 16 games and recording 101 tackles (75 solo). He started 15 games in 2011 and finished with 97 tackles (75 solo) and four interceptions. The former Tech safety goes into this season as the starter at strong safety for the team.
Chancellor, a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2010 NFL Draft, got rewarded for his play in the offseason, signing a five-year, $35 million extension that includes $17 million guaranteed.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
23 DeAngelo Hall – The Redskins released Hall in a salary cap move this spring, but re-signed him to a one-year deal worth approximately $2 million. Hall is entering his 11th season in the NFL, his sixth with the Redskins.
Hall, a first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2004 NFL Draft, started 16 games at cornerback a year ago, recording 95 tackles (68 solo) and four interceptions. He was hampered with an ankle injury all through preseason camp, but figures to move into the starting role when he gets healthy.
63 Will Montgomery – Montgomery, a former Tech walk-on who played both at center and guard for the Hokies, enters his third season as the starting center for the Redskins and his fifth season overall with the team. He started 16 games each of the past two seasons.
Originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Montgomery is in the second year of a four-year, $11.4 million contract ($2.75 million signing bonus) that he signed with Washington in February of last year.
15 Josh Morgan – Morgan enters his second season with the Redskins after starting 15 games a year ago. The former Tech receiver caught a team-best 48 passes for 510 yards and two touchdowns, and he figures to be a starting receiver for the Redskins this season.
Morgan spent the first four years of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but he signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with Washington in March of last year. More than $7 million of that is guaranteed, and the deal included a $5.5 million signing bonus.
54 Darryl Tapp – In March, Tapp agreed to a one-year, $865,000 contract with the Redskins, who plan on playing him as an outside linebacker. The former Tech defensive end became the fourth former Hokie to latch on with the Redskins.
Tapp spent three seasons in Philadelphia before signing with Washington as a free agent, and he played in 13 games as a reserve last season. He finished with 17 tackles (13 solo). He spent the previous four seasons before his stint in Philadelphia with the Seattle Seahawks, who drafted him in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
